Chapter 7: Recruitment and Retention Issues of Female Athletes: Triathletes in Trinidad and Tobago

This qualitative study explores coaches' perspectives on factors influencing the recruitment and retention of females in triathlon. Non-technical factors such as family and peer support, body image, gender stereotyping, economic costs, menstruation and school/work/family balance are key issues influencing female participation. Interwoven into these factors is the need for coaches to reflect on bio-scientific coaching and how their roles, positions of power and interactions influence coach-athlete relations. Coaches' reflexivity must account for female athletes' physiological, psychological, emotional, social and cultural contexts and their intricate interplay in shaping their participation, performance and experiences. The findings suggest that workshops and seminars are critical in educating coaches, athletes, administrators and parents about the complex interplay between bio-scientific coaching, non-technical factors and coaching strategies to impact female participation in triathlon positively.